New..and waiting on diagnosis

[KrisTena]

I’m what I consider still young at 34... so when I began experiencing awful pain I knew something wasn’t right. What finally led me to see my doctor and bring up my pain (which at the time was in my outer hips and thighs), was about a year ago, I couldn’t sit comfortably, stand comfortably or sleep. After blood work and X-rays, there was nothing visibly wrong with me. My Dr. referred me to a rheumatologist, I did not go to this appt because of insurance questions. I put this off and tried to start being more active and lose some weight(I needed to lose some) thinking it would help. It did not so I ended up back and my dr. and did see the rheumatologist. This dr. is the one to mention fibromyalgia to me first. This appt was in December last year. The dr. examined me and said she didn’t feel or see anything that suggested arthritis so if my blood work came back fine then she would probably diagnose fibro. She suggested switching the current anti-depressant (Lexapro) to Cymbalta. My family dr. made this switch to me while also giving me Diclofenac (anti-inflammatory) and Flexeril (muscle relaxer). I’ve been on this combination of meds now for a little over a month and it has been a godsend. My pain went way down and I feel so much better. I’ve also continued to lose weight, stayed active and begun yoga. Looking back at different things after reading about fibro, reasons I’ve been to the dr. and the reasons things weren’t found then, it’s all starting to make sense. Has anybody else found the right combinations to feel better or did I just luck out early?

 

[rhionna]

Hello! I'm Rhi, I'm also new to the forums.

I take gabapentin (pregabalin) and tramadol. I take 100mg of tramadol and I tell you what - it gives me a good 8 hours of really good relief. I still have bad days where it doesn't touch the pain, but I'm so fortunate to find that little bit of respite from the chronic ache.

Also, have you had your sacro iliac joint check? The SI joint is in the lower back and arthritis can cause all sorts of hip and leg pain. Thankfully I'm an engineer that works in the medical field and happened to learn about this through my job. I had my SI joint checked and sure enough, there was moderate arthritis in the joint. I'm the same age as you - so I shouldn't have that sort of arthritis there. But there are a lot of treatments for the SI joint, maybe it could provide you some relief! I'm still waiting on stupid insurance to clear injections, so I can't sit/stand for any long periods of time and hobble like I'm 90. I actually am considering a cane.

I hear yoga is really good for fibro. I need to learn some poses and give it a try, too. On my bad days (flare ups) I can't move. My arms lock up against my chest, my hands cramp, and I can barely stay awake. Anything to stretch that out would be amazing.

It could be worth looking in to! I hope you continue to find relief with your combination of medications!